Top 10: Recapping Double Elimination

Following this week’s episode, only one more week remains until the finale. Monday night, the remaining 10 artists took it a step up in order to advance to the Top 8. Coaches and artists brought their A-game and while eight artists will take their talents into next week, two had to say goodbye. To see the best performances (marked with a “*”) and the results of the latest NBC episode, continue perusing.

Top 10: Artist #2

It was so nice to hear the soulful side of her voice and to see her behind the mic stand smoothly moving her body. The transition from a warmer part of her range to her power notes was effortless and a unique part of the performance.

Her emotional connection- backed by the violins and grand piano- was extremely powerful and beautiful.

Many of her notes in the first verse and chorus were shaky and lacking control.

She got so caught up in the moment that she could not finish the final portion of the song.

Top 10: Artist #4

His staging decision to start on the piano and move forward kept the intimacy of the piece intact.

Isaiah was very nasally and overly breathy.

His falsetto was extremely flat and his vibrato got away from him many times. He needs to develop his head voice more and Levine should know this by now.

Every time he began to gain control during a high note or a run, his air flow would go right into his throat and his power would be consequentially minimized.

4

Intermission: Coach Blake Shelton took the stage to sing one of his newer songs, “Every Time I Hear that Song”. As usual, Shelton knocked it out of the park. His falsetto transitions were a bit off, but overall he was a breath of fresh air after hearing Isaiah.

Top 10: Artist #6

The violins, grand piano, cello, and occasional drums were orchestrated beautifully around Passero’s voice. Together these instruments intertwined in sound, which fused the melody into a calming, nurturing sound.

She was able to navigate with low runs and classical rhythms between verses and throughout the choruses.

Passero’s vocal control was not where it has usually been in past performances. Some of her higher parts were just beyond her capability. Pulling it down a half step would have been nicer.

She had minor timing issues in the opening chorus and going into the final chorus.

*Top 10: Artist #9

At its core, this was the rawness that we’ve been missing from this artist. The jazz and classical aspects (piano, organ, walking downbeat of the drums, etc.) gave him the environment he needed to unload.

The ending of the performance featured absolute control over his diction, breath, falsetto, and well… everything.

He truly shined on Monday!

Tsoul’s opening had a good handful of shaky and pitchy notes.

His higher notes in the second chorus were overly shouty and lost their flow from his abdomen.

Top 10: Closing Performance

Brown had a powerful and enlightening stage presence backed by violins and an angelic chorus behind her.

Her confidence in the final chorus (transitioning into that major high note) was unbelievable for a girl who is just learning to read music.

Compared to Billy Gilman‘s cover from last season and the original, this performance fell far short on power, vocal variety, and diversity within the individual choruses.

Many of her notes were lacking control and way too breathy. The music behind her was ahead a few measures in the beginning, which caused her to not-so smoothly catch up.

6.5

Tuesday Night:

Maren Morris, made an appearance and delivered a wonderful performance of “I Could Use a Love Song” from her 2016 album, Hero.

Charlie Puth also came on the show to perform “Attention”. Puth’s falsetto was above and beyond the male falsettos on this season. It was definitely a nice change from Isaiah and Larson.

The final three artists remaining at risk of elimination were Lilli Passero and Mark Isaiah from Team Adam, and Vanessa Ferguson from Team Alicia.

Mark Isaiah: (3/10) Isaiah attempted to sing Justin Bieber‘s “Sorry” and utterly disappointed. He was pitchy all throughout, and his falsetto was as flat as the state of Nebraska.

Vanessa Ferguson: (6/10) Ferguson had a solid cover of Stevie Wonder‘s “For Once in My Life”. Her ’60s Motown vibes were dancing all over the rhythms in the second half of the piece and in the initial chorus. Tempo wise, the piece was too slow and vocally, it was trapped in the middle of her range.

Lilli Passero: (6.5/10) Passero sang “Stormy Weather” by Etta James in a fight to advance to the Top 8. While she botched a note here and there, this was the best of the three performances. Passero has a magical ability to take timeless classics and transport them into modern day beauties.

Who Went Home?

Unfortunately for Adam Levine, this was a heartbreaker. Both Passero and Isaiah were eliminated from the competition by live tweeting voters. This means that Levine only has one artist left. Additionally, Ferguson will now be advancing into the semifinals next week.

Sam Bodnar is a sophomore at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. He is a Journalism Major and will be working with the Indiana Daily Student in the fall of 2018. He is one of the youngest staff writers for MEB and the former Editor-in-chief for his high school publication, "The Sage."
He looks forward to many more unique experiences with MEB and the journalism world.